The Last Train
by arainymonday
Summary: The Marauders and Lily contemplate the future as they take the Hogwarts Express back to London after their seventh year.


******Disclaimer:** I'm just playing in the Harry Potter sandbox. If you recognize it from elsewhere, I don't own it.

**Author's Note: **Thanks to my Beta Ceci. A drabble is exactly 100 words. For me, this story is an exercise in brevity and description. I'd appreciate feedback on the effectiveness of a series of drabbles and well as the individual scenes and writing style.

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**The Last Train**

**I. Hogsmeade Station**

The scarlet steam engine whistled shrilly as the pistons jerked into action. A cluster of birds exploded from a nearby tree, chirping madly and soaring into the cerulean sky. In the distance, the blank windows of Hogwarts Castle bid farewell to the students.

Up and down the train, straggling students slipped into compartments and stored their heavy trunks for the ride home. The chattering of many conversations filled the corridor, but in one carriage, the five occupants sat silently, each absorbed in his or her own thoughts as the Hogwarts Express carried them back to London for the final time.

**II. Lily Evans**

Lily stared at the threadbare carpet, absently wondering how old the train was. It was an odd thought to have on the last train ride from Hogwarts, but it was easier to think about the train than what would happen when she left its familiar interior.

The real world. It was a concept Muggle children were constantly hounded about in elementary school, and Lily had been no exception. Textbooks would be of no use to her once she stepped off this train. She would have only her brains, her ambition, and her wand.

She wondered if that would be enough.

**III. James Potter**

James glanced over at Lily. Her vivid hair fell in front of her eyes, and he wondered what she was thinking about. He couldn't concentrate on anything but her.

When the train arrived in London and he stepped onto platform nine and three-quarters, he would be taking a step that could never be reversed. From that moment on, he would truly be a man. Not just a wizard over seventeen, but a man with obligations to the woman he loved and the Order he had sworn his allegiance to.

He prayed that he was strong enough to handle the responsibility.

**IV. Peter Pettigrew**

Peter's watery eyes moved furtively around the carriage. He wondered what everyone else was thinking about and why no one was talking. James and Lily seemed so content leaning against one another. Remus was absorbed in his book, and Sirius looked as calm as ever while he flipped through a Quidditch magazine.

He chewed the inside of his lip nervously. He didn't know what was going to happen when the train arrived in London. These were such dark times, and he wasn't brave like James or fearless like Sirius or strong like Remus.

He hoped his friends wouldn't forget him.

**V. Remus Lupin**

The book lay open on Remus's lap, but his eyes hadn't moved in a long time. His attention focused upon a single word: loss. Security lay behind him and uncertainty ahead.

There would be no more Marauder adventures. Full moons would once again become nights of anguish and frustration without the safely isolated Shrieking Shack and fields around Hogsmeade to run through. When he arrived in London, his whole life would change in an instant. He would no longer be Remus Lupin, Gryffindor prefect. He would become Remus Lupin, registered werewolf.

He doubted he was brave enough to face it.

**VI. Sirius Black**

Sirius tossed a Bertie Bott's Bean into the air and opened his mouth to catch it. He peered over the top of his magazine at his best friends, wondering why they looked so pensive.

Nothing would change when the train arrived in London. He would stay with the Potters for a few weeks until he found a flat, and in the autumn, he would begin Auror training at the Ministry. In the mean time, he would work for the Order and fight Death Eaters and the reputation attached to his surname.

He knew it would all work out all right.

**VII. London**

The train jerked to a stop at King's Cross station. Wizarding families crowded around the platform greeted returning students enthusiastically. As the trunks and animal cages were carefully unloaded, the five occupants of the compartment exchanged glances. Never again would they meet in the Great Hall or sit in a classroom or serve detention together. They were entering a new phase of life, never again to return to the innocence and simplicity of their school years.

Despite their different feelings about the future, they shared a bond of friendship. They could face anything as long as they did it together.

**The End**


End file.
